The father of Broncos superstar Payne Haas could face the death penalty if convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia.
Gregor Johann Haas, 46, was arrested on Wednesday by police in Cebu City, in the central Visayas region of the Philippines.
Police said they have been trying to locate Haas Sr. since 5kg of methamphetamine was found at an undisclosed location in December.
“We suspect he has networks throughout Asia and we also suspect he has networks in Australia,” National Narcotics Agency spokesman Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono said.
“We have good cooperation with the Australian police, so we will also work with them.”
Under Indonesia’s tough drug import laws, those found in possession of illicit drugs can face the prospect of a life behind bars or the firing squad.
Gregor Johann Haas, 46, was arrested Wednesday by police in Cebu City, Philippines.
Payne Haas (left) and her father Gregor pictured at the 2019 Dally M Awards
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest anyone else from the Haas family is involved.
Haas Sr. is expected to be extradited from the city of Manila, where he has been detained since his arrest, to Indonesia.
However, Australian officials may have to approve the extradition.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to an Australian arrested in the Philippines.
Indonesian officials told the Sydney Morning Herald that the Australian Federal Police was not involved in the arrest.
The last Australians to be executed in Indonesia were Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the convicted ringleaders of the Bali Nine drug traffickers, in 2015.
The nine Australians were arrested while attempting to smuggle 8.3 kilos of heroin into Australia on a flight from Bali airport in 2005.
Of the remaining seven, only one, Renae Lawrence, has been released, while another, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, died in prison from cancer.
The father of Broncos superstar Payne Haas (pictured) could face the death penalty after being accused of trafficking large quantities of illegal drugs into Indonesia.
The arrest comes after father-of-two Troy Smith was charged with drug possession and trafficking after Indonesian authorities raided his hotel room on April 30.
Officers allegedly found more than 3 grams of methamphetamine in a toothpaste tube, a bong, and 0.04 grams of methamphetamine in a sunglasses case.
The 49-year-old’s lawyers have argued that Smith bought the methamphetamine in Bali and struggles with addiction issues.
They said the package was sent to their client by a friend as a thank you for helping with the purchase of a car and that they did not know what was in it.
Smith is currently being held in an overcrowded cell at Denpasar police headquarters.
